Archive for the 'News' Category
BASS LEGEND JEFF BERLIN RECORDS AN ASTONISHING NEW CD
Author: Jeff Boule
Richard Drexler, piano and upright bass (right), Berlin (center) and legendary drummer Mike Clark (left). A dangerous combo, promising intense music in February.
1/9/2012 – Clearwater, FL – Insiders who have heard bass legend Jeff Berlin’s newest CD are buzzing about the forthcoming release – a release that they are saying could possibly be among the greatest bass album of all time! The word is that Jeff Berlin has recorded a jazz CD so astonishing that the artist himself is in shock with what he played! “I prepared for it by practicing 5 hours a day for weeks,” Jeff explains. “What came of my preparation was to record solos on the bass that I believe have never been heard before from a bass player!”
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(PHILADELPHIA, PA) Jon Anderson, the voice of the rock group Yes for many years, has once again stepped up to help the Cancer Support Community of Philadelphia (CSCP) by providing the soundtrack for the organization’s 2011 electronic holiday card. The e-card, designed by Lauren Keswick and Scott Bluebond and produced by Keswick (www.medicalartstudio.com) was distributed today to the cancer support organization’s friends, supporters, members, donors and others and is available at www.cancersupport-phila.org. The card shows images from events and programs from the past year.
The song used for the e-card is called “Give Hope” and was originally released as a bonus track on the 22ndanniversary reissue of Anderson’s fourth solo album, the holiday-themed 3 Ships. This reissue contained five tracks not included on the original release from 1985 including this song. The original music for this song was by Narada Michael Walden and it was developed by Christophe Lebled. CSCP marketing and communications director Scott Bluebond was listening to the track recently and thought it would make an excellent accompaniment to his organization’s holiday e-card this year. He approached Anderson’s publicist, Billy James of Glass Onyon PR, who quickly was given the “OK” from Anderson. Read the rest of this entry »
Chicago’s Brain Idea Embark on First Tour
Author: Kerri O'Malley
Chicago’s Brain Idea has been experiencing a rush of success since they formed through a combination of happy accident and convenience in the summer of 2009. Brain Idea’s drummer, Grant Sunderland, 24, described the band’s relaxed beginnings: “I was playing guitar in this other band, and I would show up to the practice space early, and Ben and Joe were there and they’re jamming on a riff. They don’t have a drummer, so I started playing drums for them.”
“Ben and I were also in a band together before that, which we were kind of subverting by playing our own jams on the side,” guitarist and vocalist Joe Wepperogh, 29, told PREX. “Grant showed up and yeah, it just made sense.”
The trio began writing songs together, developing a full set by September of that year, and were met with startling opportunities almost the moment they stepped on stage. Read the rest of this entry »
Wakeman ( r ) and Anderson test drive some new material from their new collaborative LP The Living Tree as well as cruise some classic YES tunes in the Poconos. Photo by Lynn Vala
This blog has exposed me to a lot of new music. It has also brought me close to many artists, opened many musical doors for me, and I learn something new every time I write something. This review is unique in that while I was fortunate enough to work with the promoter for Jon Anderson, and his subsequent projects, I got to experience what many say is the heart and soul of progressive rock mainstays YES, Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman live playing songs from the YES catalog that we all know and love, but also songs from Anderson/Wakeman’s new album The Living Tree. While this is a review of the live act, I will make a quickie commentary on the album The Living Tree: I am going to get the disc based on the performances I saw at the Sherman Theater.
The Sherman Theater is an old venue in the heart of Stroudsburg, which is undergoing a touch of a renaissance lately. The Sherman, I would say is undergoing it’s own renaissance, with some new elements and some signs of age. Will call got our order confused, but such associations with promoters, press agents, etc., usually leads to snafu situations. Unless person A talks directly to person B, and when I get there I talk to person B, then the situation usually devolves to Situation Normal, All Fouled Up.
While I most likely will recognize the YES tunes, the new pieces from The Living Tree and if Anderson does anything from his new disc Open, I may need help naming them. Thanks to a cooperative soundman and an equally cooperative stage manager named Neil (if memory serves, no chance of that happening), we managed to take pictures of Jon’s personal set lists.
Rock Journalism 101: "… if you need information about anything pertaining to the show, providing you have an actual business purpose for being at the performance and aren't just an overzealous fan…" Photo by Lynn Vala
Ask and you shall receive… Read the rest of this entry »
Promoting the expanded re-release of Completion Backward Principle, the Tubes bring their "La Dolce Vida" tour to Jim Thorpe, PA. Photo by Lynn Vala
Jim Thorpe PA – I function in a lot of different environments. Theaters, clubs, halls… But usually these are, at the most, extreme, in the suburbs of some metropolis. This venue is up in the mountains of North East PA.
This up-high-rural-stuff ain’t for me.
Many of these venues often feature restaurants adjacent or within the structure. This venue’s restaurant, Roadies, was particularly good. I may be a tad biased. You see, that night, I was craving a big, sloppy, juicy cheeseburger. I was thrilled when I saw it on the menu. But the burger itself was so huge, juicy and sloppy, it met my craving head on and was most satisfying. The fries were great too. Thankfully, my doctor doesn’t read this column.
But I have found that many of these “experience” reviews contain comments and opinions about food. I am beginning to feel like a restaurant critic. There are enough Gordon Ramsey’s in the world…
Let’s talk about MUSIC!
Fresh off the burner, the new CD from Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman. They do indeed deliver the goods, right through customs and into the United States. Cover courtesy of Glass Onyon
So, apparently, my question last time, “can Anderson/Wakeman deliver the goods” has been answered! Some of the East Coast US reviews are starting to surface, and, let’s just say I am thrilled we got our tickets!! This is promising to be a trip down YES memory lane with nods to brand new music composed by the duo. Not wanting to speak out of turn, I am going to wait for the show to make any decisions about the new material. The good news is, I won’t be waiting long as Anderson and Wakeman are coming to my “hood” tomorrow and I will have pen in hand, trusty photographer armed with photo pass, and I will be happily passing on all the dish about the show!!!
But let’s give a look at what Anderson/Wakeman’s PR folks have to say about this latest release and corresponding tour”:
11/5/2011 – London, UK – As a follow-up to their critically acclaimed CD ‘The Living Tree’ from 2010, YES legends Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman prepare to release ‘Anderson / Wakeman – The Living Tree In Concert Part One’ on Gonzo Multimedia on November 28th. The CD was recorded during the duo’s British tour in 2010 and comes housed in a sleeve design by Mark Wilkinson who was also responsible for the design of the artwork for ‘The Living Tree’.
Over the moon about brilliant reviews, Rick Wakeman (l) and Jon Anderson bring their happy song-fest to the NE US. Photo courtesy of Glass Onyon PR
I had posted some press releases previously, but sometimes assignments drop in your lap last minute. Who am I to pass up Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman coming to my “hood”? I still regret not seeing Emerson Lake Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner and Smith when they played this very same theater, the Sherman in Stroudsburg.
I thought I had spent enough time in the Poconos, having moved there shortly before 9/11. Leaving shortly after realizing our position would be militarily strategic as a strike zone with the proximity of Tobyhanna Army Depot.
Circumstances and reversal of fortunes (in that all my legal issues have been, for the most part addressed and I am victorious, those who plagiarized me, not so much) allow me to attend Anderson/Wakeman on November 5th, so I will be bringing you the usually slimmy on this critically acclaimed “Greatest Hits” tour. What exactly are the critics saying? Venture forth…
Princeton Students: Anika Plays Terrace F. Club
Author: Kerri O'Malley
On her first North American tour since the release of her self-titled debut album last year, Anika is planning to stop at Princeton University tomorrow night, September 29th. Bridging the gap between dub, punk and 60s psychedelia, Anika sounds like Nico, if Lee “Scratch” Perry had produced her and Richard Hell had written the words she lived by.
Anika’s “Woman’s Dub” sound is the heaviest on her Bob Dylan cover, “Masters of War.” There are two versions of the cover on her album, one of which is an even thicker dub cut. Its echoing drum machine definitely calls Perry to mind, but a sample towards the end of the original track takes the tune out of the past and into the present, turning “Masters of War” from a Vietnam-era protest song to an anti-war hymn that addresses the guilt of participating in the War on Terror and the unclear boundaries between heroes and villains. Read the rest of this entry »
YES Legends Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman To Tour North America Fall 2011
Author: Jeff Boule
Founding members of the Yes Former Bandmate Mutual Admiration Society, Rick Wakeman (L) and Jon Anderson (R). Photo courtesy of Glass Onyon
Black Keys Plan Hip-Hop Collab Album, BlakRoc 2
Author: Kerri O'Malley
UPDATE: According to Pitchfork, BlakRoc 2 is not actually in the works. The Black Keys’ Patrick Carney claims the trailer is unauthorized and said there are “no plans” for another BlackRoc. The Black Keys know how to keep busy. Even though they’ve only recently completed the follow-up to 2010′s Grammy-winning Brothers (release date yet to be announced), Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney are already taunting us once again with a teaser trailer for their upcoming hip-hop collaboration album, BlakRoc 2.
The new album is a sequel of sorts to the first BlakRoc collab, released in 2009. That project featured Raekwon, Damon Dash, Jim Jones, RZA, Mos Def and more rapping over the Black Keys’ signature blues riffs and rhythms. BlakRoc 2 promises lyrics from Talib Kweli, Curren$y, Wiz Khalifa, the Cool Kids, Jay Electronica and more. In the trailer for the new project, one thing is certain: these boys can work together to pass the dutch. Read the rest of this entry »
Hank Williams Rambles On
Author: Kerri O'Malley
Less than a month after Buddy Holly got the celebrity cover compilation treatment, it’s been announced that Hank Williams is due for the same. But this time, a cast of music’s finest lovers of hillbilly tunes won’t be simply re-doing what Hank already did best. Instead, they’ll be lending their skills to a collection of Williams’ tunes that have never been heard before.
The upcoming compilation, called The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams, will feature songs straight out of Hank’s dusty diaries. According to Rolling Stone, the pages of Hank’s unperformed songs were found in a leather briefcase after his early death at the age of 29 in 1953. Read the rest of this entry »
Georgia Meets Ghana: Get Involved in Jim Wilson’s Taxicab Verses
Author: Kerri O'Malley
Kofi Anteneng and Jim Wilson
In the digital age, it’s not a rare occurrence for a musician in one country to be inspired by an artist in another. But perhaps now more than ever, it’s unusual for the two to meet. And when one unknown musician travels hundreds of miles to see and record with another equally unknown musician, each with hardly any money to fund such a far-away friendship, it is a rare and special musical journey.
Jim Wilson is on such a journey, and he needs our help. Wilson is a musician living and working in Athens, Georgia, involved with a number of local bands. In 2008, Wilson took his first trip to Accra, Ghana where he met multi-instrumentalist Kofi Anteneng, a man who until that moment was a stranger to Jim. Kofi and his band, The Warriors, instantly struck Wilson with their skill and style. Together, Kofi and Jim began a project that will become Taxicab Verses. Read the rest of this entry »
Listen to Third Man Records’ First Hip-Hop Single
Author: Kerri O'Malley
Black Milk and Jack White: Together, White Milk
Third Man Records recently proved that you should never say never with the release of their latest project: a 7″ single from Detroit rapper Black Milk. The first hip-hop music Jack White’s label has ever released, Black Milk’s single is, not surprisingly, more than your average rap track. Laced with touches of funk, soul, and sax, both songs rock retro while rapping righteously.
White stepped in to play guitar on the A-side, “Brains,” and drums on the B-side, “Royal Mega.” According to Black Milk, the collaboration was White’s idea. On his website, Milk describes the encounter: Read the rest of this entry »
Coachella 2011
Author: Gabriel Barrio
I had a dream we were here three times before. Except in my dream things constantly changed, people that were here aren’t, things that happened that definitely will not. The days light slowly hides away from us like a large toy chest closing and we are on the inside, we keep moving mile marker one after the other. Its all a blur and the stars hide out on the outskirts of the horizon, the highway is no place for stargazing and no place for two crazy souls seeking rhythms and healing undulations. We can only find adventure in our hearts and when we seek it we will always find the adventure that is meant entirely for us. This adventure has the meaning that only two sets of eyes can see yours and mine. This year we drive endlessly into the dark once again to the valley, till we reach our destination Indio, California where the Coachella Music Festival reinvigorates our souls, our hearts and reminds us why we are still here, still smiling. Read the rest of this entry »
Kurt Vile Song Tapped for Windows Phone Campaign
Author: Kerri O'Malley
A Still from Todd Cole's "Baby's Arms" Video
Last week, Kurt Vile‘s gentle love song “Baby’s Arms,” off of Smoke Ring for My Halo, got its own music video care of Todd Cole and the Windows Phone Me short film series.
Although the video has been deemed “official” by Vile’s label, Matador Records, it’s more (or possibly less) than your typical music video or film short; it’s also an advertisement for the under-used Windows Phone. In an attempt to compete with the instantly hip iPhone, Windows has launched a unique marketing campaign, comprised of short films. Read the rest of this entry »
A Look Back at Newly Single Karen Elson’s The Ghost Who Walks
Author: Kerri O'Malley
Master musician Jack White and redheaded model Karen Elson recently announced their impending divorce with an unusual “Divorce Party” on June 10th. While the couple, who have been together for six years and have two children, Scarlett and Henry Lee, celebrate their disturbing separation, we shall revel in the fantastic music their union created.
White met Elson on the set of the music video for “Blue Orchid,” the White Stripes’ first single off of Get Behind Me Satan, in 2005. In a fantastic video for the album’s toughest song, Elson sported unbelievable ballet-style heels and made friends with a white snake (no, not that one). But more important than this brief moment in White Stripes history is the unexpectedly beautiful solo album Karen Elson released through Jack White’s Third Man Records last year, The Ghost Who Walks. Read the rest of this entry »
The iconic Record Store plastic bag
Author: Andre Veloux
What could be more sustainable than a shop that sells predominantly used items? Not much if you ask me. In so doing Prex has already stepped up to the environmental challenge by having a store full of all those pre-loved goodies. No mail order either, it’s all in one place, if you added a bike rack outside you could be talking practically a zero environmental impact of your purchases. Bearing all that in mind, it was great to see Prex joining in many other local businesses in supporting Sustainable Princeton‘s BYOBag (Bring Your Own Bag) campaign. But that got me thinking, isn’t the iconic record store bag part of the experience? Could we seriously ask record store patrons to forgo the ubiquitous plastic bag?
PJ Harvey Let England Shake (Island Records 2011)
Author: Gabriel Barrio
Redundancy strikes deep in our constant observance and cyclical critique of American entertainment. We love, we laud, we loathe, we praise and then down comes the proverbial hammer and we destroy. We pick apart every piece of the soul, spirit and sense of artistic creativity our artists give us. We tear into their works with teeth gnashing against their souls laid bare, we ravage each aspect constantly devouring their works we can relate to but turning their works in which we cannot relate to into refuse, we spit it back at the artist and devalue them in such a way that they become distant and reluctant to expose themselves to us again. They attempt to connect and to love their audience and we are fickle lovers that throw them out over the most trivial reason possible. This is our dynamic and this is why we look to them for guidance both parties lost we look for ourselves in each other. Read the rest of this entry »
Scott Bluebond (L) and Jon Anderson pose with the signed guitar in the green room of The 10! Show.
13TH Annual Evening in the Yard Being Held on Friday, May 20 at the Navy Yard.
(PHILADELPHIA, PA) Scott Bluebond is the marketing and communications director at the Cancer Support Community of Philadelphia (CSCP). But he is also one huge Yes fan. He was able to combine his love for helping people with cancer and the group Yes this week. CSCP is having their annual gala on May 20 and this year, there will be an auction for the first time. Scott called his friend Rich Chodak, owner of Bluebond Guitars and Music School (www.bluebondguitars.com/Bluebond/Home.html), for help. Rich purchased the store from his childhood friend and neighbor, Dale Bluebond, who was killed in an auto accident in 1994. Dale was Scott’s cousin.
Say YES to acoustic versions from your favorite progressive band's lead singer. Photo courtesy of Glass Onyon.
4/5/2011 – Asheville, NC - Much to the excitement of fans across the country, Music icon Jon Anderson, best known for his work with Yes, Vangelis, Kitaro and other notable music artists, as well as his innovative solo efforts, is preparing to tour the US in support of his forthcoming CD release ‘Survival and Other Stories‘. Jon recently completed a successful European tour with former Yes member and keyboard virtuoso Rick Wakeman on the heels of their critically acclaimed debut album ‘The Living Tree‘. The upcoming Spring tour “An Acoustic Evening With Jon Anderson” touts an exciting mixture of material from Jon Anderson’s prolific solo career, collaborations with Vangelis and classic Yes songs, along with new compositions from his pending CD, and promises a magical and memorable evening of enchanting music for all who attend!